


Ray of Sunshine

by TheRedWitch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, One Year Later, Other, Platonic Relationships, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 21:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4154337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedWitch/pseuds/TheRedWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's only been a year. The Battle of Hogwarts has passed, but the scars of it still remain. The returning students are faced with crippling sadness and terrifying memories of the previous year as they try to go about their daily lives. Sixth year Chloe Jefferson is no different. After having doubts about returning to Hogwarts, there is one first year boy who lights up her world and, despite not knowing the struggles that she faced, helps her get through even the most difficult of days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ray of Sunshine

Chloe Jefferson sat in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express. It had been one year since the Battle of Hogwarts. But one year wasn’t enough to erase the memories. Her closest friends were gone. Their screams echoed in her mind, their faces were mask-like in death. Chloe didn’t know how she was even able to come back this year. The wounds were still so fresh, despite the time that had passed. Her mother and father had told her that going back was her choice and hers to make alone. If she wanted to wait to finish her sixth and seventh years, it was no problem. Chloe had stayed firm on her choice to return. But now as she sat in the compartment, completely alone and left to her own thoughts, she was beginning to seriously doubt her choice. 

A few first years ran past the compartment, only to be chided by a prefect a few doors down. The prefect walked by Chloe’s compartment and opened the door. “Jefferson? S’that you?”

She looked up in surprise. It was Jenna Peakes, a fellow Ravenclaw and a year younger than Chloe herself. Jenna was short and friendly with skin the color of freshly turned earth and long black braids. She always wore earrings of varying colors and shapes, charmed in different ways. Today was a pair of seahorses enchanted to blow bubbles now and again.

“Hey there, Jenna,” Chloe said, putting on a smile. It was more just a twitch of the corner of her mouth that vaguely resembled a smile. “Didn’t know you were a prefect.”

“Yeah, got the letter from Flickwick this summer. Said I didn’t have to accept if I wasn’t coming back this year, but I said yes.” She looked around the compartment. “You too, huh?” The meaning behind the phrase was unspoken, vocalization wasn’t needed to affirm the thought.

“Charms hallway.” Was Chloe’s response. Her voice cracked slightly. 

“There are a few people in the same boat,” the prefect said, her seahorses were blowing blue and green bubbles and swishing their tails. “I was going to put everyone together, but I feel like they need space, y’know?”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. 

Silence passed a bit awkwardly between them. They didn’t know each other very well; they had been in the same advanced Transfiguration class when Chloe was a fourth year. “Well,” Jenna shuffled her feet. “I’ve gotta keep going. It was nice seeing you.”

“Yeah, same to you.” The door shut with a snap. And then just like that, all was quiet again. Chloe went back to staring at her fingers. Lacing and unlacing them, watching the rings on her fingers sparkle in the light of the setting sun. They would be reaching the castle in roughly an hour and a half. She pulled the shades down over the windows of the compartment and changed into her Ravenclaw robes. She had nothing better to do anyway. After tucking her wand into the pocket on her robe and flicking open the shades again, she sat down and stared out the window. The mountains were passing by quickly, some capped with year ‘round snow. 

There was a soft knock on the door again. Chloe looked up and saw the big green eyes of a small boy staring back at her. He had messy, straw colored hair and a splash of freckles across his nose. He knocked again, looking very hopeful. Chloe motioned at him that he could open the door. He fumbled with the lock slightly and then opened the door.   
“Hi!” He said brightly. He was dressed in first year robes. Chloe noticed that his plain black tie was a bit crooked. “Lookit what I got!” He showed her his open arms, brimming with candy from the trolley. “Didja know that the frogs, they can jump?! They can jump for real! Like real frogs!” He beamed, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Didn’t you know that?” Chloe asked, putting her long brown hair into a braid.   
“Yeah! But I wanted to be sure that you knew! ‘Cause they’re so cool!” He squeaked. He dumped his candy onto the opposite seat and sat down next to his pile. “And these pumpkin pasties are so good! They’re not like the ones my mom makes, but they’re still amazing!”

Chloe finished her braid. “I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?” His face fell slightly. “Shouldn’t you be off with your friends or something?”

He quickly got his spirit back. “Well I would if I had any that came to Hogwarts! They all went overseas to the Salem Institute or Durmstrang,” he said, swinging his legs as he spoke. The tips of his dirty blue and green shoes dangled about three inches from the floor. “And I was running by earlier, trying to make friends, when this older girl with seahorses on her ears said that we were too loud and we had to go back to our compartment. That was when I ran into the candy lady. She was just finishing her round and I said that I wanted to buy something so I did! ‘Cause when I passed your car, you looked really sad and lonely so I thought that candy would help you feel better!” 

“What makes you think I’m lonely?”

“Well, ‘cause you look like a lot of the older students do. I know that last year was really difficult,” he hung his head, “I know I wasn’t there so I don’t know ‘bout how bad everything got…” He looked up again, taking hold of a pumpkin pasty and holding it out to her. “But I know that I can try and help you feel better!” 

Chloe sat looking at him for a few seconds. Half of her was stunned that this little kid had even noticed her and bothered to spend his money on her. But there was another part of her that wanted to scream at him to get out, how dare he presume to know what she went through? Torn so completely, Chloe merely sat looking at him. 

The first year giggled and got up. He reached for her hand and placed the pumpkin pasty in it. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk. I can just tell you stories and help you feel not as lonely!” He got back up on his seat and crossed his legs as he unwrapped a treacle tart. “My name is Palmer by the way! Palmer Sunnick.” He took a large bite of the treat. “You don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t want to!” He said between bites. “I think that it’s best if you’re comfortable. My mom always says that if you wanna help someone, they gotta be comfortable. So—”

“Chloe Jefferson.”

Palmer stopped eating and looked at her with his big green eyes. “Huh?”

“My name…” She said, “it’s Chloe Jefferson.”

The look on Palmer’s face was enough to make Chloe’s heart melt a little. He smiled, treacle tart stuck to the corners of his mouth. “Oh wow! What a pretty name! I had a cat named Chloe once. Not saying that you’re like my cat or anything like that!” He assured her, his mouth full of tart. 

“Chew your food, you silly boy,” she replied as she unwrapped her pumpkin pasty. 

“So do you want me to tell you a story?” Palmer asked, reaching for a bottle of Corgell’s Fizziest. 

Chloe smiled slightly. “Sure.” She took a bite of her food. “Make sure it’s a good one. And that it has a happy ending.”

“Okay! I can definitely do that!” Palmer sat up a little straighter and started telling her a story from when he was littler. It was rather a good story too, and Chloe found herself enjoying it. Palmer was very excited, and acted out many of the key parts of the story, including the bow that Murdock the Wise performed to win the heart of the King of the Hippogriffs, Red Sun. He showed her how Murdock held his wand and even screeched when Red Sun was ‘talking.’ Finally, he got to the climactic final battle between the mighty wizard and his hippogriff partner and the army of trolls.

“…And then! Murdock the Wise and Red Sun swooped down—!” He made whooshing sounds and ran back and forth in the compartment, “—and Murdock started casting fire spells at the trolls! Pew, pew, pew!” He made the motioned for that as well. “And just as everything was about to be fine, the biggest and the meanest troll came out of nowhere and raised his club to challenge Murdock the Wise!” Palmer raised one of the empty bottles of Corgell’s and gave a roar. “‘Puny Wizard!’ The troll yelled, ‘I am Gazog! I will defeat you in single combat!’ And Murdock pointed his wand at Gazog, commanding Red Sun to fly closer to the troll.” The little first year had climbed up to stand on the seat. “So Red Sun swooped in and Murdock raised his wand, ready to strike! But Gazog swung his mighty club and hit Red Sun! He was falling out of the sky! His wing was broken and Murdock couldn’t mend it in midair with a spell in time, so they crashed into the ground!” Palmer jumped down and rolled on the ground. “Murdock the Wise knew that trolls were weak against fire and the light of the sun! So he stood and raised his wand as the mighty Gazog charged with his club raised. And as the sun rose, Murdock cast the most powerful fire spell that had ever been cast and covered the troll in roaring flames! The sun shone brightly and Gazog cried out in fear!” Palmer made a screeching sound. “He and his army had not realized how long the battle had gone on and one by one they all turned to stone! Gazog himself turned into a flaming stone nine feet tall!” He scrambled up on the seat again. “So Murdock raised his wand and made the flaming stone fly into the sky, where it exploded into a bajillion little pieces! And everyone called Murdock the Wise and Red Sun heroes for saving the day!” He slid down in the seat. “So they feasted for seven days, to celebrate Murdock’s great victory! The end!!” Palmer took a breath and smiled that adorable smile again.

Chloe chuckled and clapped. “Bravo, Palmer. You’re such a wonderful storyteller! Did you make that story yourself?”

He nodded vigorously. “I started making it when I was little! It was a game that a few of my friends and I played before we went to school. It was a lot of fun!” He puffed himself up proudly. “I always played Murdock the Wise!”

“That’s what I thought. You seem like a wizened old wizard to me.” There was a hint of sarcasm there, but Palmer took no notice to it. 

He bounced to the window and looked out at the last of the light dying behind the mountains. “When do you think we’re going to get there?” He asked incredulously. 

Chloe looked at her watch and then out the window. “I think very soon, judging by the time. Probably another half an hour.” 

The boy was happily bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’m so excited! My mom said Hogwarts is an amazing place!”

She smiled. “Yeah, it is. Tall towers, wide windows, sweeping grounds, lots of places to explore…” She reached for memories of it when it wasn’t a battle-torn wasteland. “Do you know what house you’ll be in?”

“Well, my mom was in Hufflepuff, and she’s the sweetest person around. She met my dad after she graduated. He wasn’t magic at all, but she still loved him and he loved her.” A forlorn look crossed his features. “He died when I was seven.”

Chloe looked at him for a good long while. “I’m sorry, Palmer.” 

“It’s okay. I’m going to be sure to do well in school, that way I can make them both proud, no matter what house I’m in!” He sat up and smiled again, all evidence of sadness wiped clean. “What’s your house?” He squinted and read the badge on her cloak. “Ravenclaw… What a cool name for a house! What do you have to be to get into Ravenclaw?”

“Well, you have to be smart and be good at solving problems, have a knack for undoing a problematic situation, be a good judge of character, that sort of thing.” She saw his face fall. “What is it?”

“Well, I’m not very smart…”

Chloe blinked in surprise. “Nonsense!” She said, her outburst a bit louder than she meant it to be. “You created that whole story about Murdock the Wise! You made your own little universe. That’s very clever.” She smiled to reassure him. A real smile this time. “I’m sure that you’re a very smart kid, and you’ll be able to get in whatever house you set your mind to.”

“Really? Maybe we’ll get to be in the same house! Wouldn’t that be so much fun?” His excitement was intoxicating. Chloe found herself hoping that she would be sharing a common room with him. “How do you even get into the houses? Is there a test? Do you have to fight a dragon? Or a troll??” He was bouncing again, not even a little bit daunted by anything he was saying. 

Chloe offered another smile. “No, nothing like that. It is a sort of test though, and the test-giver will be able to tell if you’re lying.” She didn’t want to give away the identity of the Sorting Hat yet. Not when Palmer was so radiant with excitement. 

“They can tell?” He asked incredulously. “How?”

“Sorry, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.” She smiled warmly as the speed of the train slowed. 

Palmer noticed the drop in speed almost instantly. He jumped up again and looked out the window. “Are we at Hogwarts?!” He gasped happily, looking out at the train platform. 

“Yeah we are,” she said, standing and stretching. “This is where I have to say goodbye.”

He looked back at her with an expression of unbridled sadness. “What? But we just got to be friends!” It was then that Chloe realized just how short he was compared to her. 

“No, that’s not what I meant. First years take a different way to the castle than second through seventh years.” She picked up her purse. “You travel by boat, we travel by horseless carriage.” 

She wouldn’t have thought the little first year’s eyes could’ve been any wider, but she found that she was sorely mistaken. “The carriages pull themselves?”

“You bet. And next year, you’ll be able to ride in them with me, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Trust me. You’re going to love the boat ride.”

“Will I get to see the castle from the boat?”

Chloe was suddenly remembering her first trip across the lake, the castle’s many spires and towers aglow with candlelight. She remembered the last rays of the setting sun painting the sky a deep red, making the castle look even more immense and foreboding. She remembered the inky water splitting as the boats floated forward, as if being pulled by an invisible rope. She remembered that in the wash of the lantern’s glow, her face and the others of the first years were painted with awe and shock. She remembered. And she remembered it fondly.

She found herself smiling at the little boy. “Palmer, you aren’t going to want to miss it.”

He was very excited at the prospect of the boat ride now, seemingly having forgotten the horseless carriages. They got off the train together, and the familiar cry of “Firs’ years! Firs’ years this a-way!” was heard along the platform. The groundskeeper, Hagrid, lumbered out of the fog, causing Palmer to gasp and grab a hold of Chloe’s robes. “Is he a giant?” He squeaked. 

She snorted. “No, just half.” She bent down then, giving him a hug. He seemed to be surprised at first, but then hugged her back with great enthusiasm. “Thanks for sitting with me on the train, Palmer. You have no idea what that means to me.”

“Will you tell me what it means?” He asked as they broke apart to look at each other.

There was something profoundly innocent in those green eyes that softened Chloe’s heart. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to tell him. Not now at least. “Maybe another time,” she said, smoothing his hair as if she were his mother or sister. “Now go with the other first years, I’ll see you in the Great Hall. Keep an eye out for me, okay?” He nodded vigorously. “Alright you, get going.” She nudged him off in Hagrid’s general direction, and soon he fell into the group. He looked back only once to wave before everyone shuffled to the boat house. Chloe herself turned the opposite direction and headed towards where the carriages were—

—And stopped in her tracks.

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is my first story. Please be nice. I'm trying this out to see how it goes, but don't expect any miracles. Be patient with me, as I can't guarantee quick updates, but I'll crank them out as fast as I can. Thanks very much!


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